…because of the encouragement of a friend, earth mysteries writer Andy Collins. I'd finished Calenture and was pondering what to do next. Andy knew I shared his interest in the Nephilim and kept saying I should write the definitive novel about them.  

At the time, he was researching a non-fiction book on the subject, which was later published as From the Ashes of Angels. He used psychics in his research, and much of the material he got from them could not be verified as fact, so therefore, had no place in a serious study of the subject. However, it was perfect for fiction -- luckily enough for me. Andy let me adapt some of this material for the books. It appeared in the visionary sequences of the story. The subject was so huge, one book couldn't do it justice, which was why I wrote it as a trilogy. 

Crescent Blues: Your Grigori books draws upon myths and legends from many cultures. Do you use these exactly as you find them, or do you transmute them as needed to meet the demands of your artistic vision? 

Constantine: When working with ancient legends in the Grigori material, I tried to keep them as faithful to their sources as possible. In other books, I have been a bit more "creative" with established myths. The trilogy I'm working on now, which begins with Sea Dragon Heir, contains mythology from many different cultures, but I've reinvented them to create a new belief system. 

Crescent Blues: You were one of a very distinguished list of contributors to Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams, an anthology of stories inspired by the movie The Crow. Was it difficult for someone as original as you to work within the limits of a story originally created by someone else?  

Constantine: No, because Ed Kramer, one of the editors, encouraged me to write a Wraeththu story for the collection. It seemed to fit into the concept of what The Crow was all about. 

Crescent Blues: Have you ever participated in other group or shared world projects, and if so, how did that go? 

Constantine: I've done quite a few stories for shared world anthologies. I wouldn't even attempt to do so if I didn't find the source material inspiring. Most recently, I've worked with Phil Brucato, who used to be an editor for White Wolf, on his Mage material. Mage is a game, and I don't play fantasy role-playing games, but Phil's ideas are so vivid and creative, it was a pleasure to take a stroll in his invented world. Phil no longer works at White Wolf, but we've stayed in contact and hope to collaborate on other things soon. 

Crescent Blues: I understand that Storm Constantine is your real, legal name, not just a pseudonym, but not the name you were given at birth. How did you come to choose your name? 

Constantine: I changed my name about fifteen years ago, when I first got my work accepted by a publisher, because I'd made a decision to begin a new and better life. It seemed an intensely magical and significant act not just to create a name to write under but to take it legally too. As to where it came from, I can't really remember now. I know I loved the name "Storm," but why "Constantine?" Don't know, but it obviously felt right at the time! 

Crescent Blues: You've indicated that being a writer enabled you to make a career out of telling stories, which you'd been doing all your life. How did it change when you made the shift from unpublished to published, and then later when you left your day job to write full time? 

Constantine: The reason I made the decision to write seriously, not just have a zillion half finished projects lying around, was because I realized I had to do something to get out of the nine-to-five job trap. I hated that life. It involved staring at the clock all day, wishing my life away. It is not a good way to live. So, I had immense persistence and determination to change things.  

My first goal was to work at a day job part-time, which I achieved after I sold my fourth book. It was very strange at first. I actually felt guilty about being at home, doing something I loved rather than having to go out to work every day, grumbling, complaining and miserable. My father and stepmother also experienced this feeling when they retired early, so perhaps it's just something that's ingrained into us.  

It took me about six months to get used to the freedom, and during that time I found it very difficult to write, but eventually I settled down into my new routine. I finally gave up the day job completely a few years after that, although I continued to do a few hours a week for a local charity, and also took some freelance work for a computer training company. More recently, I worked at our local college as a lecturer in creative writing. At the moment, I write full-time, but I might do other things that interest me again occasionally, should the opportunity arise. 

Crescent Blues: If you hadn't become a writer, what do you think you'd have done with your life -- and how different do you think you would be today? 

Constantine: I shudder to think! 

Crescent Blues: Tell us something about the influences that have shaped you as an artist. For example, your work seems infused with images from music and the visual arts. What musicians and artists influence you?

Storm Constantine - Continued